Exede offers online shopping lifeline for rural family

Guffey, Colorado is among the prettiest – but most isolated – little towns in the state. When Gerald Toeneboehm moved to the Park County community in 1983, he shared a telephone party line with a few of the neighboring ranchers.

“When you picked up the phone, if somebody was on it, you had to wait your turn,” he said.

When private lines became available, Gerald ordered two – one he reserved exclusively for internet. But service was slow.

“Then, I heard about satellite internet,” Gerald said. “The first satellite internet I got was StarBand, but I couldn’t go wireless with it. It was just a complicated issue to hook up a wireless router.

“Download speeds got much better. When I download my email now, it’s pretty darn fast.”“So I got WildBlue. And that just opened up everything. I’ve been with them ever since.”

“I noticed a big difference right off the bat,” he said. “Download speeds got much better. When I download my email now, it’s pretty darn fast.”

Because Gerald and his family are far from large stores, they rely on the Internet for shopping. Gerald uses it to order parts to repair the family’s automobiles, and the entire family uses it for personal communication, taking advantage of the Free Zone.

“I learned from midnight to 5 a.m. it’s unlimited, so sometimes I try to stay up to get a couple of movies downloaded,” Gerald said. “I really like that.”

Exede delivers high speed on the plains

Living on the rural plains of eastern El Paso County, Colorado, Theresa Saldivia for years had no Internet service. It was part of the quiet lifestyle she loved.

But when she started working from home as a sales consultant for an online company, that had to change. Theresa subscribed to WildBluein 2005. It was a good fit for her new line of work.

“Customers would call to do online ordering,” she said. “I worked some long hours, six days a week; I was glued to that computer.”

“Living in a rural area, great Internet service is important. I am a very happy customer of Exede.”She upgraded to Exede in 2012.

“My computer is much faster, and I rarely have downtime unless I’ve got such a severe thunderstorm it’s hitting my satellite,” she said. “It’s as different as night and day.”

The online business Theresa worked for has since closed, but she never thought of dropping her internet service.

“Now I’m just using it for my own personal use, but I’m still just as happy with it,” she said. “I pay bills my bills online. But more importantly, I’m from a very large family all over the United States. It’s the internet that keeps me in contact on a regular basis with nieces, nephews, my grandkids in California.

“Living in a rural area, great Internet service is important. I am a very happy customer of Exede.”

Exede saves couple from ‘Internet Envy’

Marilyn Aldridge used to suffer from Internet envy. She and her husband, Dave, love their quiet property north of Silverthorne, Colorado, but didn’t love their service options.

“All that was offered was dial-up internet,” Marilyn said. “It was terrible. I was so jealous of everyone that had all those other fast choices. But I dealt with dial-up for six years.”

The Aldridges subscribed to Exede precursor WildBlue as soon as they learned it was available. Marilyn’s envy quickly evaporated.

“I was so jealous of everyone that had all those other fast choices. But I dealt with dial-up for six years.”“I was thrilled,” Marilyn said. “And when Exede came out, I was ecstatic! It was just as fast as the other choices that are offered in town. I feel like I live in the real world again.”

Installation and customer service also get high marks, she said.

“Everybody’s been wonderful,” she said.

The Aldridges use their internet service for “basically email and playing,” Marilyn said, and she’s made sure to spread the word about Exede among her neighbors.

“I think I’ve gotten pretty much everybody on it,” she said.

Quick Reviews

“Extremely happy with the service, as we were on slow dial-up before. We live out in the country and the phone lines are old and when they get wet we couldn’t even get online. Thank you for getting into the modern age.”

April in Van, Texas

“Best thing since the wheel. If you want something that beats everything else, get Exede. That’s a fact.”

Bill in Brilliant, AL

“It was like a breath of fresh air compared to my previous provider!”

Brad in Saratoga, Wyoming

“I was astonished that the speed was as good as, if not better than, DSL. Nothing but good!”

Buzz in Hayfork, CA

“Exede is the best Internet provider service I’ve ever had. Even if I had the choice to have DSL or cable or any other form of broadband, I’d still use Exede. It just doesn’t get any better than this.”

Charles in Belton, TX

“The technician was very knowledgeable, and getting started was very easy. Exede has proven itself to be an affordable and superior satellite Internet service.”

Dennis in Plymouth, New York

“I was trapped in the dial-up nightmare … Cable stops 3 houses down the road from me. DSL is too far away to be an option … Now with Exede I can enjoy the Internet like city folks.”

Don in Streator, Illinois

“Since my work includes using the Internet for international transactions, I needed something that was very dependable with a good transfer speed. I was in for a pleasant surprise. What had formerly taken me up to four hours with a dial-up connection was completed in less than 10 minutes! I can highly recommend the service.”

Ivan in Free Union, VA

“Thank god for Exede. I have been on dial-up for years and no one else offered any service worth paying for. They have been upfront and honest and I have no complaints!”

Janelle in Nikiski, AK

“Prior to Exede, our options were so limited we considered moving to an area that had DSL or some other high-speed Internet just to be socially connected. Now we have the whole world at our doorstep.”

Janet in Bennett, Colorado

“I got my Exede installed within 48 hours of calling — after waiting TWO WEEKS for the local phone company to come install Internet in my new home. Thanks for being so responsive!””

Jeff in Aylett, Virginia

“I bought it and consider it to be my best investment in Internet service in years … Thanks for your excellent service. We are receiving fast service like in town, but still get to live in the boonies. It’s awesome!”

“Exede has been extremely reliable and fast — I can actually use YouTube now! Our service with our prior satellite Internet provider was so slow and spotty that I did not trust it and hardly ever used it. Now I can actually do online banking, pay bills online and order products online from my home. Before I only did those things at work. Keep up the good speed, Exede!”

Laurie in Chandler, TX

“Living in a remote area of Alaska is difficult to say the least. We own a tiny speck of private land deep inside the vast Kenai Wilderness where we go for months without contact with other human beings. Having the ability to communicate with the outside world and distant family members brings a bit of civilization to our remote wilderness cabin.”

Lawson & Audrey in Kasilof, AK

“I work from home, and my only option for Internet service is via satellite or dial-up. I would have had to quit my job if not for Exede, because the other satellite Internet service was way too slow. I am so thankful and pleased with this service!”

Lois in Covington, Virginia

“I am more than happy with my service. Living out in the country, we were stuck with dial-up. It was terrible. It would take HOURS to download an album, and Facebook was out of the question. Now, I feel more connected. I can post and view pictures of my children and grandchildren. I can keep up with my friends and family and the world around me.”

Mark in King city, California

“The service with Exede Internet has been exceptional. It has performed beyond my expectation.”

Marvin in Jacksonville, TX

“The speed gotten from Exede is remarkable. Living in a rural area, we have been limited on internet options. This was the first service we found that was both reasonable and reliable.”

Mary in Tuskegee, Alabama

“Absolutely love Exede! Glad I made the switch from wireless. Had my doubts about Internet by satellite, but not anymore! Thank you!”

Mike in Parker, Kansas

“Can’t say enough about the nice customer service representatives, including installation tech. Speed is far beyond anything I expected. Don’t know how I did without it!”

“The experience is great and I now can connect with family and friends.”

Sondra in White Cloud, MI

“Since I work from home, I needed a reliable service that would always be working and had the speed to enable me to work. I also needed VPN connectivity and Exede provides all of that. I’ve only had the service a couple of months and it has worked beautifully — thanks to Exede, the best internet provider!”